Kalamazoo Police Arrest 12 in Four Related Incidents

Kalamazoo Police made 12 arrests in four separate incidents over the weekend, and all are thought to be related to a planned effort to get revenge for an earlier killing.

Kalamazoo Public Safety (KPS) officers got a tip that a group from Benton Harbor was planning to come to Kalamazoo in retaliation for a shooting death on April 11th in the 800 block of Woodbury Avenue on the city’s north side. One person was killed and two wounded in that attack. Police say they were able to identify key persons on both sides of the dispute, and this weekend, they were on full alert.

On Saturday at about 4 pm, investigators from the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET) and Crime Reduction Team (CRT) arrested a 29-year-old suspect from Kalamazoo after a traffic stop in the 3600 block of West Michigan. They found a stolen handgun and methamphetamines.

About two hours later, KVET and CRT officers grabbed a 30-year old Kalamazoo resident who had a loaded AR-style rifle and methamphetamine.

On Sunday, shortly after noon, KVET investigators and officers from the Operations Division intercepted Police say seven subjects and three handguns were located inside the vehicles. The third vehicle fled from the officers and the two occupants were detained after a vehicle pursuit that ended in the 1300 block of Princeton Ave. A handgun was recovered from the vehicle. A total of nine were arrested and the officers recovered four firearms from the occupants. The suspects, all from Benton Harbor, range in age from 17-24 years old.

Finally, at 3:30 am on Monday, April 20th, KPS officers responding to reports of gunshots on South Howard Street found spent bullet casings and a loaded handgun. They got a description of the vehicle and tracked it down later in the morning. After a chase through several jurisdictions, police say the suspect intentionally crashed into them in the 200 block of Grandview Avenue. PSO Dumond and his canine “Axl” were brought in and found the final 17-year old suspect hiding under a car in the 200 block of West Maple Street.

Kalamazoo Public Safety would like to thank the Michigan State Police, Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, Kalamazoo Township Police, Western Michigan University Police Department, and Portage Public Safety for their assistance in the weekend operation.

Kalamazoo Public Safety encourages anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety at 269-488-8911, Silent Observer at 269-343-2100 or report online at www.kalamazoosilentobserver.com.